Hazel Park Drama to present ‘James and the Giant Peach’

HAZEL PARK — Starring students from the elementary schools, junior high and high school, Hazel Park Drama’s upcoming musical comedy will be quite the ensemble performance.

“James and the Giant Peach” — based on the Roald Dahl children’s book of the same name — will have three showings, beginning at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 13; at 7 p.m. Friday, March 14; and at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 15.

The venue is the auditorium at Hazel Park High, located at 23400 Hughes Ave. There will even be a pre-show song-and-dance workshop for kids before the Saturday show.

Tickets are $8 online and $10 at the door, with a complimentary community coffee hour in the lobby 45 minutes before showtime, and the auditorium doors open a half-hour early.

The show clocks in at 90 minutes and contains some mature themes and cartoon violence, and is recommended for ages 7 and older.

The play follows the titular orphan James, sent by his cruel aunts to chop down a fruit tree, only to discover a magic potion that yields a massive peach that takes him on an adventure around the world, where he meets a menagerie of strange creatures, including human-sized insects who talk.

The producer and director is Mark Fairbrother. He said in an email that he took the reins of the theater program in late 2022, eager to rebuild it after the pandemic closures, giving students the opportunity to develop artistic, technical and leadership skills.

“I’m loving every minute of it,” Fairbrother said. “I recently got to see two of my first graduates doing top-notch college theater work, onstage and behind the scenes, at Central Michigan University. I’m tremendously proud of them.”

In the upcoming play, more than 70 students will be featured, from fourth graders to seniors. Their contributions run the gamut, from the performers and their costumes, to special effects such as projections, water-based fog, handmade puppets and more.

The main cast includes junior Preston Blaze, playing James; junior Kayden Morton-Tellis, as Ladahlord; junior Axel Cochran, as Aunt Spiker; sophomore Mal Staten, as Aunt Sponge; senior MoNai Johnson, as Ladybug; senior Justyn Harris, as Grasshopper; sophomore Dylan America, as Centipede; sophomore Quinn Beverlin, as Earthworm; and freshman Malaysia Hicks, as Spider.

For Blaze, the star of the play, this will be his sixth production with Hazel Park Drama.

“This has certainly been a big show for me,” Blaze said, adding that he has especially enjoyed training for the singing and dancing, as well as the puppetry, and having dozens of children onstage with him — among them his younger sister, Vivien, in fourth grade.

“We are fortunate to have this opportunity,” Blaze said. “My sister and I have built bonds and shared memories that we will look back on for the rest of our lives.”

Jeremiah Kemp, senior, is in charge of stage management, while junior Angel Wallace is handling lighting, sophomore Cupid Rude and senior Venus Workman are designing costumes, and seniors Tangela Charleston and Sylvia Stimac are tending to the audience experience.

“During my time at Hazel Park Drama, I have become a completely new person,” said Kemp, who plans to study technical theatre and design at Wayne State University next year, a decision inspired by his time in the club. “The community I joined has truly shaped me.”

Hazel Park Drama mounts two major shows each year, with recent productions including “It’s A Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play,” in December 2024; “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee,” in March 2024; “Clue,” in November 2023; and “The Addams Family,” in April 2023.

The club’s core group comprises more than 25 higher schoolers, in grades nine through 12, who participate in drama classes, regularly participate in workshops, and attend related field trips and socials. Additional students tend to lend a hand on each production.

The idea to include more students from the elementary schools and junior high came about when Fairbrother invited six of them from the district’s Summer Theatre Camp.

“Throughout that production, I loved seeing the teens actively mentor the younger kids, which led me to hold open auditions for that age bracket for this production,” Fairbrother said. “We were delighted by the large number of auditionees.”

The rehearsals began in January.

“I chose ‘James and the Giant Peach’ because it offered zany characters for our student actors to sink their teeth into, big dance numbers, and ample opportunity for us to attract newcomers — both to our cast and our audience,” Fairbrother said. “It’s a great show to introduce kids to theater’s magic. My hope is that local families who are either unfamiliar with theater or uncertain of how their younger kids may respond will enjoy this experience together.”

He said his students have really connected with the show’s themes, which include embracing your chosen family, cherishing the differences people have, and never losing hope. He also described the colorful appeal of the characters, from “oversized insects with distinct cultural backgrounds” to “rowdy aunties living on the margins of society.”

Visually, the show will play heavily with contrast, evoking feelings of unease and isolation with the use of strong light and shadow, while at other times exploding into color with warm hues and a patchwork motif to convey moments of joy.

“One of the most gratifying aspects of this work is the students’ personal growth. I get to observe formerly risk-averse students who now seek challenges, and teens who once believed they had no skills now mentoring one another,” Fairbrother said.

He noted this includes students who were once shy but now act confidently on stage.

“Like many of today’s young people, there are students in this program who once expressed confusion and disillusionment about their futures, preferring to avoid such thoughts by sinking into TikTok and internet forums,” he said. “Now, they have their eyes firmly set on college and career, because they understand they are fully capable of dreaming and doing, having developed marketable skills and passions.”

For more information, including tickets and workshop registration, visit hazelpark drama.org.